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Since Mondays are just the worst, we here at Zap2it
have decided to give your week a much-needed wake-up call with 10 TV
teasers — just to remind you that when the work day is over, your DVR
waits to welcome you home.

After a break last week (we were still recovering from Thanksgiving!) Monday Kickstart is back with dish about the “Vampire Diaries” and “Castle” holiday episodes, plus a breakup in “Nashville’s” winter finale and some fun tidbits from some of our fave comedies.

“The Vampire Diaries”: We’re totally loving the idea of Matt and Jeremy as roommates — but don’t expect to spend too much time hanging out in Chateau Bro over the next few episodes. “Unfortunately, we don’t actually get to see them in action for a while,” executive producer Julie Plec says. “In [Episode 9], Jeremy gets shipped off to the lake house for treatment. They’re in a predicament, which is that he loves his sister and she’s the one person he’d love to kill more than anybody, so … when we get to Episode 9 we’ll see that Elena has enlisted Bonnie to help. She’s seeking out unconventional methods to find a fix.”

“How I Met Your Mother”: Robin’s dad is returning! Ray Wise (who replaced Eric Braeden in the role in Season 6) will make his third appearance as the senior Scherbatsky in the show’s first episode of 2013. Co-creator Carter Bays says the episode will feature the character more than past episodes — “we really get to know him in a really fun way.”

“Nikita”: In Episode 313, we’ll get to know a precocious teenager named Stefan. (And yes, you can expect a wink-wink nudge-nudge nod to “The Vampire Diaries.) Stefan just happens to be the son of Gogol boss Ari Tasarov, but he’s in the dark about his father’s line of work. Stefan is caught off-guard to learn that his own personal Alfred-the-butler buddy, Kreig, is actually a highly trained mercenary. When Stefan goes missing, Kreig abducts Amanda and Nikita to shake them for info. But which one of them has the kid?

“Happy Endings”: We know Penny finally lands a serious boyfriend this season, but her romance with Pete hits a speed bump next week — to jealous seventh-wheeler Max’s cackling delight. But surprisingly, Nick Zano tells Zap2it, “Pete and Max actually have a nice camaraderie [and form an] unexpected friendship. It happens pretty quick, and it’s pretty sincere and nice. It turns out to be a really sweet relationship.” Just like Pete and Penny’s … with benefits poor Penny never enjoyed when she was dating Max.

“Castle”: We haven’t seen much between Esposito and Lanie lately, but look for a little action of the romantic kind in “Secret Santa.” The detective makes a special visit to the morgue, and his intentions are revealed when Lanie notices he is wearing a new cologne. Whether or not this on-again, off-again couple has a Merry Christmas or not will be revealed by the end of the episode.

“Nashville”: This week’s episode puts Rayna right back at square
one — once again, her label is pushing her to join Juliette on a
co-headlining tour. Meanwhile, everyone on the show is on a romance
roller coaster! Expect one couple to break-up while a second couple
enters a new (and potentially controversial!) phase in their
relationship.

“Suburgatory”: What is “Krampus,” aside from the title of Wednesday’s episode? Well, it has to do with Christmas — and with Tessa realizing that getting to know her mom (Malin Akerman makes a return appearance) maybe won’t be as easy as she had hoped. Also look for a couple of big developments with Ryan Shay — both with his family and with Tessa.

“Parenthood”: While Drew has been pining over Amy this season,
he’s also totally been doing his homework. Haddie’s college experience
took her across the country, but Drew’s staying closer to home next year
— he’ll get into UC Berkeley, and feel a little conflicted about
telling Amber. Oh, and this probably goes without saying, but prepare
for some major tearjerkers (yes, more than one!) during the season 4
finale. The fifteenth and final episode of the season gathers all the
Bravermans (and Ryan) together for a big family milestone, and there’s a
whole lot of love in that room. Duh.

“Cougar Town”: Get ready to welcome a new member of the cul-de-sac crew — Bobby Cobb’s beard. Brian Van Holt was sporting some facial hair at a recent gathering, and he says his decision to stop shaving became the character’s decision as well. Bobby’s never been the most meticulous guy, so a little scruff seems pretty well in keeping with the character.

Emily Owens, M.D.: Even though The CW medical dramedy got the axe, there’s still plenty to see before it finishes out its 13-episode run. Necar Zadegan, who plays intimidating surgeon Gina Bandari, tells us: “There’s a romantic storyline that follows Emily Owens very closely. There’s a triage of romantic storylines that are unfolding … I think viewers might be surprised by the outcomes and possibly excited. There’s some exciting turn of events happening for Emily’s romantic life. And everybody else’s romantic life. Actually the romantic lives of these characters are getting very interesting. All of them.” Hmmm, any guesses?